Davenport Drives Into Porsche Final

THE MORNING BUZZ

October 10, 2004

Amelie Mauresmo and Lindsay Davenport won their semifinals in straight sets Saturday, setting up a No. 1 vs. No. 2 final at the Porsche Grand Prix in Filderstadt, Germany. Mauresmo defeated fourth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 6-4 and has beaten the U.S. Open champion all three times they have played. Davenport eliminated French Open winner Anastasia Myskina 6-2, 6-4. Mauresmo kept her No. 1 ranking for at least another week. Had she lost and Davenport went on to win the title, the American would have reclaimed the No. 1 ranking she last held in January 2002.

MORE TENNIS: Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova overpowered Mashona Washington 6-0, 6-1 to win her second straight Japan Open in Tokyo on a day when rain from an approaching typhoon leaked through the arena's retractable roof and interrupted play. . . . Robin Soderling beat seventh-seeded Vince Spadea 6-2, 6-4 to reach the final of the Lyon Open in France. Soderling will play Xavier Malisse in today's final. Malisse, who entered the indoor tournament having lost five straight matches, beat David Ferrer 6-4, 6-2. Malisse and Soderling will both be trying for their first career title.

SWIMMING: AMERICANS DOMINATE

Jenny Thompson isn't done yet. She defeated a strong field in the final meet of her career to win the 50-meter butterfly in the World Short Course Championships in Indianapolis. Kaitlin Sandeno won her fourth gold medal of the meet and Brendan Hansen completed a sweep of the breaststroke events by winning the 200, helping the Americans dominate in the 25-meter temporary pool despite the absence of injured star Michael Phelps. Spurring on the home team was the crowd of 11,488 -- largest at a non-Olympic swimming event in the United States. Sandeno led a 1-2 finish in the 400 free. She won in 4:02.01, ahead of DeLand graduate and University of Florida standout Sara McLarty in 4:04.49.

WNBA: FINALS TO EXPAND TO BEST-OF-5 SERIES

The WNBA Finals will expand to a best-of-five series next season, and the league plans to add franchises in 2006 and '07. "In '06, we are optimistic that we are going to add the 14th team to the WNBA," league President Val Ackerman said before Seattle and Connecticut tipped off this season's championship series Friday. The Sun beat the Storm 68-64 in Game 1. The second game of the best-of-three set is today in Seattle. Game 3, if necessary, will be played Tuesday. The WNBA enters its ninth season next May, and expects to turn a profit in 2007, Ackerman said.

SOCCER: BECKHAM BREAKS RIB IN VICTORY

David Beckham scored on a curling, 25-yard shot to lead host England past Wales 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier in which he wound up with a suspension and broken rib. The Real Madrid star was taken to a hospital for X-rays after the game and it was initially believed that nothing was broken. However, England team officials said, a second X-ray revealed the break. The England captain picked up a yellow card ruling him out of England's next game against Azerbaijan on Wednesday.

MORE SOCCER: Jeff Cunningham scored in the first half and the Columbus Crew extended their Major League Soccer-record unbeaten streak to 17 games with a 1-1 tie against the host MetroStars. . . . Utah's MLS expansion team will be called ReAL (pronounced RAY'-al) Salt Lake, hoping it enjoys the success of a European club with a similar name. . . . Christian Gomez scored in the 32nd minute to give host D.C. United a 1-0 MLS win over the New England Revolution. . . . On a day when 38 qualifiers were played across the globe leading to the 2006 World Cup in Germany, tiny Liechtenstein delivered a shocker with a 2-2 tie against Portugal, the runner-up three months ago in Euro 2004, and Ukraine drew with European champion Greece 1-1.

HORSE RACING: SIGHTSEEK ENDS CAREER

Sightseek put in a final performance to remember. Taking control from the start, Sightseek turned on the power at the top of the stretch and cruised to a 23/4-length victory over Society Selection in the Beldame at Belmont Park in New York. In the winner's circle, teary-eyed trainer Bobby Frankel said his star 5-year-old mare ran her final race. Sightseek won the Beldame for the second straight year and closed her career with a perfect 6-for-6 record at Belmont. The chestnut daughter of Distant View won 12 of 20 career starts with six runner-up finishes for Juddmonte Farm.

THE LAST WORD: Red Sox fans get what they wanted, another chance to choke against the Yankees.